Eight Summer Jobs that offer Scholarships or Tuition Assistance Programs to Student-Employees
Learn about a few jobs that offer scholarships and/or tuition reimbursement that you can apply for this summer. Find out what the eligibility requirements are and how much is rewarded.
If searching for a summer job, it’s good practice to select the type of work that will offer you the greatest benefits. Sure, there are plenty of trendy jobs hiring that can provide a paycheck, but it’s important you weigh your choices carefully and choose the one that specifically caters to your needs. Whether you’ve just graduated high school or are currently enrolled in a college, jobs that offer scholarships or tuition assistance programs should be on your checklist of benefits you’d like to receive. Tuition assistance programs can offer up to $5,250 non-taxable funds per employee under IRS regulations. And scholarships are great because, unlike tuition assistance programs, they’re less restrictive in which degree programs you can pursue. Below are a few corporations that provide these benefits to college students. Good Luck!
McDonald’s USA National Employee Scholarship Program
Each academic year a student-employee from McDonald’s is chosen to receive a $2,500 scholarship from each state. They desire to award students who are exemplary in the classroom while also being active in their communities. They also select three out of the pool of winners who “demonstrate the highest commitment to school, work and community” to win a hefty $5,000 scholarship and be named “McScholar of the Year”. Nifty!
Wal-Mart Associate Scholarship Program
If you’re an employee of any division of Walmart or Sam’s Club and are in financial need, applying for the Walmart Associate Scholarship could surely improve your bottom-line. You need to have been employed for 6 months (part-time or full) and also have some involvement in your community. Scholarships are awarded four times a year with amounts that vary depending on type of institution (2 or 4 year) and degree you’re pursuing (associates, bachelor’s, etc).
Chick-Fil-A Leadership Scholarship Program
Another fast-food restaurant offering scholarships to employees. Their Leadership Scholarship Program has given more than $25 million in funds to employees throughout the United States. As long as you have a solid work ethic, are active in your community and school and carry strong leadership abilities you’re encouraged to apply. The top 25 Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship recipients also receive a nice $1,000 S. Truett Cathy Scholar Award.
Burger King Scholars Program
The king of all employee-based scholarship programs. They award over a thousand student-employees each year with scholarships as high as $50,000. Flipping burgers may not be as chic as working at an Aeropostale or Abercrombie, but you won’t care once awarded the whopping James W. McLamore Whopper® Scholarship (the whopping whopper scholarship, has a nice ring to it).
UPS Earn and Learn
The UPS Earn and Learn Program grants $3,000 in scholarships ($15,000 max) per student-employee as soon as they’re hired in at one of 90 UPS locations. They also have a special programs for students in Kentucky (The Metropolitan College Program) or Chicago (The Chicagoland Regional College Program) in which all your educational expenses are paid if you’re enrolled at participating post-secondary institutions. Additionally, UPS offers scholarships to children of employees via the James E. Casey Scholarship Program and the George D. Smith Scholarship Program.
StarBucks Tuition Reimbursement
In addition to serving high-priced lattes, you can receive a decent chunk of change toward your educational expenses if you seek employment at StarBucks. They’ll give away up to $1,000 per year through their tuition reimbursement scheme. You need to at least have been employed for a year to be eligible. And the longer you’ve worked, the more you receive. The breakdown looks like this: Under 36 months: $500/year; 36-60 months: $750/year; and 60+ months: $1,000/year.
Target Tuition Reimbursement
Nail those high tuition and fees with Target’s Tuition Reimbursement Program. They’ll provide up to $3,000 per year toward approved work-related educational expenses, $4,000 for graduate level courses and $5,250 for Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programs. They also offer Education loans of up to $25,000 via their ConSem loan program.
Lowe’s Scholarship Program
Lowes has two scholarship programs, one for employees and another open to the general public. The Lowe’s Scholarship Program awards 140 students with $2,500 scholarships who have at least a 3.25/4.0 GPA, active in community and are current high school seniors. The Carl Buchan Scholarship dishes out 50 scholarships in the amount of $5,000 to student-employees (either part-time or full) who have worked for Lowe’s at least 90 days. Other requirements include a GPA of 3.25/4.0, a commitment to community service and be a high school senior or college undergrad with at least one semester at a 2 or 4 year post-secondary institution.
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